From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Soccer" redirects here. For other uses, see Soccer (disambiguation).

This article is about the sport of association football. For other codes of
football, see Football.
Association football
Football iu 1996.jpg
The attacking player (No. 10) attempts to kick the ball beyond the opposing team's
goalkeeper, between the goalposts, and beneath the crossbar to score a goal.
Highest governing body FIFA
Nicknames Football, soccer, the Beautiful Game, the World Game[1]
First played 19 December 1863, Limes Field, Mortlake, London, England, United
Kingdom[2]
Characteristics
Contact Permitted (Limited)
Team members 11 per side (including goalkeeper)
Mixed gender Yes, separate competitions
Type Team sport, ball sport
Equipment Football (or soccer ball)
Venue Football pitch (also known as football field, football ground, soccer field,
soccer pitch or simply "pitch")
Presence
Country or region Worldwide
Olympic Yes, men's since the 1900 Olympics and women's since the 1996 Olympics
Paralympic Yes, 5-a-side since 2004 and 7-a-side since 1984
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer,[a] is a team sport
played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. It is played by
250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies, making it the world's
most popular sport.[3][4][5][6] The game is played on a rectangular field with a
goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by getting the ball into the
opposing goal.

Players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in
play, unless they are goalkeepers (and then only when within their penalty area).
Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, but may also use
their head or torso. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match
wins. If the score is level at the end of the game, either a draw is declared or
the game goes into extra time or a penalty shootout depending on the format of the
competition. The Laws of the Game were originally codified in England by The
Football Association in 1863. Association football is governed internationally by
the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA; French: Fdration
Internationale de Football Association), which organises World Cups for both men
and women every four years.[7]